KITTERY, Maine (AP) The Navy is reconstituting a squadron to oversee submarines while they’re being repaired and overhauled at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
Capt. Daniel J. Reiss will move from Norfolk, Virginia, to oversee the new squadron at the shipyard in Kittery, Maine.
Squadron 2 will provide administrative, manning, logistical, operational planning and readiness support for attack submarines and crews during their time in Portsmouth. Those oversight duties were previously performed by squadrons based in Connecticut.
“There is benefit to having a dedicated squadron staff on-site, focused on the unique needs of crews in this stage of their readiness cycle,” Reiss said.
The change, which became formal with a ceremony on Friday, revives the tradition of a storied squadron that was created in the 1930s and relocated to the Pacific theater in World War II.
After the war, the squadron returned to Groton, Connecticut, and featured various classes of submarines including the first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, before the unit was disbanded in 2012.
The reconstituted Squadron 2 will comprise of 25 personnel when it’s fully staffed, said Lt. Seth Koenig, spokesperson for Submarine Readiness Squadron 32 at Naval Submarine Base New London.
Reiss said he’s eager to address challenges by submarine crews locally instead of from 150 miles away in Connecticut. There are currently five Virginia- and Los Angeles-based nuclear-powered attack submarines at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
“We look forward to getting these crews and their boats back in the fight, stronger and tougher than when they arrived,” he said.
